


For your love

by Anonymous



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:26:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29091258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: There was one big, bright pink elephant in the room and it was clear Yuri couldn’t escape it anymore.He had probably made a mistake in trying to avoid the discussion in the first place months before, when he was faced with the choice of either avoiding the discussion or Otabek himself. Somehow he had ended up pulling back from his friend, ignoring his phone calls until Otabek stopped trying to call him and just wrote messages, which were much easier for Yuri to answer.
Relationships: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Kudos: 38
Collections: Five Figure Fanwork Exchange 2020





	For your love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Soulstoned](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulstoned/gifts).



Yuri had been in Japan several times since the first time, when he had gone on his quest to have Victor create choreography for him years before. 

Since then, and especially since Victor had retired from competitions and had become a coach full time, Yuri had often been back there with him and Victor’s husband, Yuuri.

Now they were still adversaries on the ice, but in time their friendship had deepened and Yuri had also been able to bring his old grandpa to the hot springs there for a nice vacation. It had been great for his old bones, and Yuri had been quite grateful to his friends and their Japanese family for being very nice to his grandpa.

Still, he had been to Tokyo only once, and the city looked completely different during the Olympics, the whole place dressed up for the international event and so many athletes pouring into the streets and so many fans following them there.

Yuri inhaled deeply at the sight of the Olympic Village in front of him, a smile spreading on his lips at the confirmation that he was truly there.

He had made it to the Olympics, the biggest competition out there for an athlete to reach.

He was going to represent his country and show them all that he was the best in the whole world.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the clicking of a camera. He turned to look to his right with a raised eyebrow in time to get caught in another picture by Victor, who looked simply beside himself. As if _he_ had never been to an Olympic game before.

“This is going on Instagram!”

A couple years before, Yuri would have probably huffed and scorned him, but so much had changed in the meantime, and for the first time Yuri could understand Victor's enthusiasm. This was no ordinary Grand Prix.

Three selfies together later, his phone rang, and Yuri swallowed at seeing Otabek’s name on the display.

“Hey,” he greeted his friend on the phone, throwing a look at Victor just to make sure he was otherwise busy with Yuuri and their own selfies to care about his personal businesses.

“Hey,” Otabek greeted back, his voice making a shiver run down Yuri’s back.

It was so stupid to react that way to his friend simply talking to him, and Yuri frowned hard at the pavement, feeling distinctly like he should have been pissed off at himself or at least at Otabek, but he couldn’t do much about how his heart beat faster in his chest.

“Saw on Insta that you’re finally here?”

Yuri grinned softly and started walking once more, pulling his suitcase as he went, his phone pressed to his ear. “Yeah! When did you arrive?”

“Yesterday night. Coach wanted me to start shaking off the jet lag way before the competition.”

“Not a bad idea,” he commented. “I’m lucky on that because we just stayed at Yuuri’s place for a few days first, so we’ve had all the time to get on with the program.”

Otabek hummed softly, and Yuri clenched his teeth, suddenly knowing perfectly well what Otabek actually wanted to talk about with his call.

There was one big, bright pink elephant in the room and it was clear Yuri couldn’t escape it anymore.

He had probably made a mistake in trying to avoid the discussion in the first place months before, when he was faced with the choice of either avoiding the discussion or Otabek himself. Somehow he had ended up pulling back from his friend, ignoring his phone calls until Otabek stopped trying to call him and just wrote messages, which were much easier for Yuri to answer.

He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment at the memory of that night after the award ceremony of the World Championship.

_Maybe they had drank too much champagne at the party, but leaving the rest of the athletes behind to explore the venue had seemed like a great idea._

_Yuri could feel himself shiver slightly at walking down the hallways with Otabek, their solitude making the moment seem almost illicit. They found the terrace almost by chance, and Yuri took a deep breath of the night air as he leaned against the railing._

_He didn’t even notice his eyes falling closed as he tried relaxing and pushing his shivers down._

_No need to worry, he told himself. It wasn’t like things had to change._

_He could sense Otabek by his side, his intense gaze on him the only thing that brought him to open his eyes once more._

_Otabek was indeed looking at him, and for a moment Yuri wished for nothing more than to lean in and kiss his best friend._

_Otabek probably read it on his face, for he smiled gently and leaned in to put his arms on the railing beside Yuri._

_“You know why I’m here with you, yes?”_

_“‘Cause everyone else can suck my socks,” Yuri chuckled, throwing him his best grin. “I’m the best. And I’ll win the Olympics, too!” He beat his hands on the railing, galvanized by his victory, no longer doubting what the future held in store for him. “You can come second,” he added, faking being extremely magnanimous to his friend._

_Otabek actually snorted, amused, but then he reached out and wrapped an arm around Yuri’s shoulders._

_He was warm and the only friend Yuri had felt he could blindly trust in a long time. It was easy to lean into Otabek's side, to forget the urge to push others away to protect himself, and to ignore his doubts of how their friendship could have crumbled if they weren’t actually as perfect for each other as Otabek seemed to believe._

_It would have been easier if Yuri hadn't also felt drawn towards Otabek._

_“Yuri…”_

_Yuri almost wished he could step away, no matter how much he also wished he could lean in and simply take what he wanted from Otabek._

_He held his breath when Otabek’s gaze fell over his lips._

_“I think we could be soulmates, Yuri.”_

_Yuri closed his eyes, feeling dread surge inside his chest._

_“What if we’re not?” he asked softly, his voice almost lost under the light breeze that swept over the terrace, making him shiver once more. But Otabek still had his arm around him, warm and solid against his side. “What if we’re not?” he asked with more strength. “Would that be the end of our friendship? Would you-” He let his gaze drop over his hands, his knuckles white from how hard he was gripping the railing. “Would you leave me behind and go searching for your soulmate?”_

_Otabek shifted slightly from foot to foot and pulled at Yuri. It was easy to let himself be tugged and turned until he was fully in Otabek’s arms, directly facing him._

_It was easy to grab at his friend’s jacket and hold on tight, as if that could have been enough to keep him from walking away._

_“What if we try, but we don't connect? You’re my best friend. I don’t want to lose that.”_

_Otabek shook his head as he continued to gaze down at Yuri from that last bit of height difference Yuri had never been able to close in the years since they'd first met._

_“I know we’re going to be perfect together, Yuri. It’s… one of those things you just know. An unshakable truth in you. Like faith.” He raised his eyebrows, and Yuri couldn’t hold back a smile._

_“Faith, huh? I don’t know.” He truly didn’t know what Otabek was talking about, not when he was afraid that Otabek would be so disappointed when he found out the most they could ever be was simply the best of friends that he was going to turn around and stop even speaking to him._

_There were so many stories about people who were in love and had been together for years who had broken up because they had found out they weren’t really soulmates. Even newlyweds divorcing after the wedding night._

_On paper, it seemed great that there was a surefire way to know if you had found your other half simply by having sex with them, but then again, there were those who didn’t care much to hae sex and so many others that could swear to God that they were made for each other, no matter what fate thought about it._

_Yuri couldn’t help but be scared that it was all in their heads and they weren't actually meant to be together. And then he was going to lose his best friend and the only person he had ever fallen in love with._

_“It sounds crazy to me.” He shook his head, trying to sound as cold as possible._

_He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to accomplish with his denial, but the hurt in Otabek’s gaze wasn’t it._

_To his ever growing despair, Otabek looked like Yuri had slapped him in the face, and the moment his friend leaned back, away from him, Yuri found himself stepping closer._

_He didn’t notice he was reaching out to grab at Otabek’s jacket, but suddenly the fabric was there in his fist, and Yuri used his hold on it to pull Otabek down and crash their mouths together._

_They stood there on the terrace, seemingly frozen in time for a long second before they wrapped themselves in each other’s arms, desperately trying to prolong the kiss as if it were the last time they would see each other._

_It was exactly what Yuri wanted, if he had to be honest, and yet not something he was ready to face.  
_

It was cowardice to stop answering Otabek’s calls, but thankfully his friend had seemed to understand and had avoided the subject over text.

However Yuri felt the reprieve was at its end and his friend was probably at his limit.

He knew that if it had been him, he would have lost his patience much sooner.

“I wish we could see each other,” Otabek mumbled on the phone.

Yuri hated himself for it, knowing it was his fault his friend sounded that way.

“The others are thinking of organizing a big dinner out tonight, before the ceremony starts. It could be fun. Lots of people,” Otabek said.

Yuri heard what Otabek didn't say: they could meet where Yuri wouldn’t have to worry that Otabek would once again push for a relationship. Yuri hated himself fiercely for the relief that swept over him.

“Yeah, sounds great. I’ll tell Victor and Yuuri, too," Yuri said. “I bet they’ll also want to come.”

“Sure. I’ll send you the address.”

“Yeah, okay. Bye.” Yuri pressed his lips in a tight line as he closed the call.

It was stupid, and he knew that.

He had told Otabek it might not be a good idea, only to be the one kissing him. And then he had basically ghosted Otabek for months.

He was probably going to lose his best friend simply because he had started giving him the cold shoulder first.

He could find a better friend. Maybe fall in love with them in time. And then find out they were meant to be together.

And Yuri was going to be the one that got away or the ex-best-friend, but nothing more. Or even worse, the person who had turned his back on Otabek simply because he was too afraid to know if they might have had a chance.

How long until Otabek decided there was nothing to love in Yuri?

“You should put that guy out of his misery.”

Yuri blinked hard before he turned to see Victor staring at him with a sad look he had no business throwing Yuri, and for a moment he was just a hair's breadth away from kicking his coach in the shin.

“It’s none of your business,” he snarled, pocketing his phone and starting once more towards the Olympic Village.

***

Yuri had vaguely heard people say that the Olympics were a time in which the stress of the competition - or maybe the fact there were so many people suddenly living in close quarters together for a couple weeks - caused many of the athletes to basically act like rabbits.

He hadn't thought much of it before, but suddenly the reality of it was in front of him, in the looks full of lust that he witnessed being thrown around, not only between teammates but also between competitors from different countries. Very few seemed to have any qualms in showing exactly how open they were to the possibility of entertaining someone in their room after curfew.

And by God, the sounds he heard at night, when people were supposed to be resting to prepare for the day after.

Victor laughed at him at the breakfast table the next morning, cutting his eggs and bacon and vaguely nodding towards Yuri and his dark circles.

"Of course it's true. Did you really think it was just a saying?"

"Well, yes," Yuri mumbled, opening his yogurt with a frown. "I don't get it. It's like someone threw around sex pollen or something."

"Oh, so you didn't notice they are literally passing out condoms?"

Yuri almost choked on his yogurt, looking with wide eyes at Victor. He expected to see he was kidding, but his coach looked just as surprised as Yuri did.

Could it have been possible that he had seriously missed seeing boxes of condoms going around?

"They always do that. I mean, not always, a couple times they tried to avoid 'fraternization.'" Victor quoted in the air with his fingers. "But of course it didn't work out. What did they expect, after all? With all these athletes rounded up in one place, of course people will seize the moment to look for their soulmate on the off chance it's someone with the same drive and dreams." He shrugged, looking towards the table closest to them, where a group of noisy athletes was laughing at some prank they had played on a teammate.

It made sense.

Of course, with all the people in the world, the dream was to find someone that could understand how single-minded they could be in the pursuit of their career. Where else could they find so many people that actually thought along the same lines as they did?

Yuri frowned hard at his yogurt, suddenly losing his appetite at the thought that if he didn't want to talk to Otabek and tell him he actually would have loved to have more than a friendship, there was nothing holding back his friend from actually going out and finding someone for himself.

Yuri couldn't really ask him to stay celibate all his life just in the hope that one day Yuri would decide to give them a try.

He looked around, trying to consider how easy it would be for Otabek to find someone perfect for him, maybe a fan, maybe someone so much less complicated than Yuri himself.

"You should eat," Victor reminded him gently, nudging his foot under the table. "And think about your short program. There will be time to think about your broken heart."

"I don't have a broken heart," Yuri grumbled stubbornly. Even if he did have a nagging pain in his chest, that had nothing to do with his body and everything to do with his feelings.

***

Yuri had almost managed to forget the talk he had had with Victor that morning in the mess hall by the time he entered his room after a shower, only to find a huge pack of condoms on his bed and what at first looked like a bottle of half a liter of mouthwash but which was labeled as lube. It was all topped with a small card that read: "From uncle Vicky, have fun!"

Yuri was probably going to kill his coach.

That was blatant favoritism and an attempt to distract him so that stupid Yuuri could win instead of him.

Where even was Victor's national pride, Yuri grumbled mentally even as he put everything in his bedside table’s drawer.

Just in case.

***

Yuri wasn't too happy with his short program, even if everybody said it was basically perfect. It hadn't been. He could have done better, he reproached himself even while piling food on his plate, famished after the match.

He sighed deeply when he dropped himself on the free seat beside Otabek, shaking his head at the amused look his friend threw him.

While someone else was unlikely to notice, Yuri could tell Otabek was having fun listening to all the chattering going around the table.

Yuri started eating right away, wanting to go to bed early, but he was more than a little distracted by what sounded a lot like the recounting of how Jean-Jacques and his Isabel had known since their first meeting that they were made for each other, all the way back in Juniors as they trained in the same rink in Canada.

It was the stuff romance novels were made of, people finding their soulmate from a young age only for it to be confirmed to them on their wedding night when they were older and had spent years in love.

He couldn’t help but throw a glance at Otabek, wondering what he thought about it, but found him staring down at his plate, his lips pressed in a hard line. Yuri felt a pang in his chest.

That was the sort of romantic stuff Otabek dreamed of. And it was probably all Yuri’s fault if it now depressed him.

He gently bumped his elbow against Otabek’s in an attempt to distract him. He grinned softly when his friend threw him a glance, even as he was desperately sweating inside, trying to find something cool to say.

“Did you know them back then?”

Otabek arched an eyebrow the tiniest bit, but then he nodded, seemingly relaxing. “Yes. It was around the time I had also joined JJ in Canada to train. Truth be told, everybody thought at the time that Isabella was going to be way more famous than JJ.” He smiled. “She was already very talented, and if I struggled to keep up with JJ, he struggled to keep up with her. I think that’s why it was love at first sight for him.”

He looked at Jean-Jacque still talking away down the table, a half-smile on his lips at what seemed to be a fond memory, and Yuri went back to stuffing his face with food, mentally wondering if Otabek considered what they had love at first sight.

Somehow, he doubted it.

They kept chatting amicably until after dinner, when they all began to retire to their rooms to rest - at least some of them - and Yuri found himself staying behind in the hopes of getting some time alone with Otabek.

Even if it meant just thirty seconds of silence stuck in an elevator.

It rapidly became quite awkward, Yuri leaning against the elevator’s wall and Otabek staring at the closed doors, looking just about ready to sprint out as soon as they were to open at his floor.

Yuri wasn’t really sure when their comradery had begun to circle the drain, but as he scuffed the toe of his sneaker against the elevator’s smooth floor, he felt weighed down with the certainty that either he was going to say something or he was going to watch Otabek walk away from him and the close relationship they had built over time.

“I didn’t want to push you away,” Yuri mumbled, his eyes fixed on the buttons panel. Half a second later, the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.

Yuri swallowed, watching from the corner of his eye as Otabek turned around to look at him. He had one foot poised to propel him forward. But a second passed, and then another, and Otabek turned to look at him properly as the doors slid closed without him leaving.

With Otabek’s intense stare on him, the space felt suddenly cramped even if it was only the two of them inside. Yuri couldn’t look away anymore, and despite what he feared there wasn’t a grimace on Otabek’s face, nor any sign of annoyance directed toward him.

Otabek stepped closer to stand right in front of him, and Yuri tilted his head back in order to be able to hold his gaze, even with his heart beating twice as fast at being so close to him once more.

They hadn’t shared the same space, the same breath, since that night on the terrace. 

“Then why?” Otabek asked softly, his emotions clearly visible in his eyes as he studied Yuri’s face as if it held all the answers to his questions.

Yuri could only shrug, swallowing down his fears at seeing that for some reason Otabek still hadn’t lost hope in the two of them. “I didn’t want to lose you.”

Otabek snorted softly, maybe thinking he was joking, only for his eyes to widen in surprise at understanding Yuri was telling the truth. He had admittedly done a poor job in reassuring Otabek that he even wanted to stay friends, Yuri had to concede.

Otabek took a deep breath and seemed to relax in front of him, cracking a smile as he reached out to gently take a hold of Yuri’s chin with two of his fingers.

The kiss came as a surprise to Yuri, and he closed his eyes, desperately wishing he could ask Otabek to kiss him properly instead of simply pressing his lips to the corner of his mouth.

It was suddenly too chaste, not enough for him, even though he had spent months running away from just that kind of display of affection. But the elevator dinged once more behind Otabek’s back, and his friend leaned back to look him in the eyes.

“This is your floor.”

Yuri swallowed and blinked hard, inhaling sharply at finding he had somehow fisted both his hands in the fabric of Otabek’s sweatshirt in an attempt to keep him close. He forced himself to let go, to breathe and step aside.

“Good luck, Yuri.”

“Thanks. You, too,” he mumbled even as he staggered out of the elevator, a mess of thoughts swirling in his mind.

He was halfway down the corridor when he noticed he had the tips of his fingers pressed over his tingling lips.

***

Yuri had to keep his mind clear of his personal problems to be able to focus on his free skate program. It was his chance to go for the gold and show the whole world he was the best.

Nobody had ever handed him a victory on a silver platter, and he had learned since he was a kid that if he wanted to be up on the podium, he needed to work his ass off.

He was in the middle of his warm-up and mental pep talk when he realized with sudden clarity that he had always fought for what he wanted.

So why was this one wish any different from the rest?

He turned his head to look at Otabek warming up on a yoga mat not two meters away from him, and for a moment he stilled in consideration of his best friend.

For years, Otabek had been the one he had felt the closest to, the one that Yuri had known he could trust with all his secrets, his best friend, and, more recently, the one he had secretly desired.

So why wasn’t he fighting for him, then?

What had him so scared that he didn’t even want to give a relationship a try?

Maybe they weren’t soulmates, but Yuri could still trust Otabek to still want to be his friend if nothing else, right?

If everybody else dared to put themselves in the hands of fate to find their other half, why couldn’t he try, too?

Otabek turned his dark eyes on him as if feeling the weight of Yuri’s gaze on his skin, both eyebrows raised in silent question. Yuri didn’t even have to think as he smiled at his best friend, feeling at peace with himself and the choices he had made for the first time in months.

He would stop running away and face the chances in front of him, see what life reserved for him, and after that he could still make his own choices and still be himself.

There was no need to lose anybody along the way.

Otabek seemed surprised for a moment, but he returned Yuri's smile with a small smile of his own before turning away to focus on his own warming up, and Yuri went back to focusing on his own movements.

***

“You look different,” Victor said with a pleased smile on his lips while Yuri shuffled his skates back and forth on the ice, his hands still on the boards in front of his coach. “A good different though. Less stressed.”

Yuri nodded seriously and took a deep breath, amazed to find he truly was calmer and more confident now that he had made his decision. Whatever was to come, he was Yuri Plisetsky, and the world should keep their eyes on him to see what he was capable of.

He skated to the center of the ice to get into position, his mind completely on his program and the side of himself that he wanted to show the judges and the whole world.

He could have sworn he had heard Otabek call his name, but he forced himself to push the thought out of his mind, waiting only for the music to start.

Skating was natural to him, all the movements, the steps and the spins, the jumps so long ingrained in his body that it was easy to remember what came after, and yet he wanted to be absolutely perfect. An angel on the ice, an entity none of them could hope to come close to touching, pure fire and emotions that couldn’t be bridled.

He stopped at the end of the music, his heart beating out of his chest from the exertion and droplets of sweat slowly running down his face like salty tears. He was out of breath, and for a moment all he could hear was the rush of blood in his ears and his own panting, before the arena started screaming.

Yuri blinked the sweat out of his eyes and turned his eyes towards the boards, somehow finding right away where Otabek was, only to see his friend clapping for him with a large smile on his lips.

It was enough to make a laugh bubble up from inside of him, and Yuri smiled at Otabek and Victor, at his cheering fans and the judges, waving his hands and bowing for them all before he skated towards the boards to leave the ice.

***

Yuri left the kiss and cry with wet eyes and the need to find a quiet corner to himself.

He found it in an empty corridor where nobody seemed to go much, and there he simply let himself fall down, his back pressed to the wall and his knees pressed against his too tight chest.

His fingers trembled as he selected his grandpa’s number and brought the cell to his ear.

“Grandpa!” he said breathlessly as soon as he heard the call connect.

“Yuri! You were so beautiful, Yuri!”

Yuri let out a chuckle, feeling warm and happy under all the adrenaline and the exhaustion. He snuggled into his warm jacket, wanting to feel a little more at home, a little closer to the one person who loved him unconditionally.

“Did you see the whole thing?”

“As if I could miss my Yuri skate at the Olympics! Half the block is watching. I heard from the windows everybody was screaming for you!”

Yuri laughed, hiding his face against his knees, tears prickling at his eyes, and closed them to focus just on his grandpa talking.

“They all love you. You made us all so proud.”

A sob escaped Yuri’s lips, and he pressed them a little more tightly, trying to take a deep breath and push all those emotions down where he could still control them.

“It was all thanks to you, grandpa. I’d never get this far without you cheering for me.”

“Of course you would have,” his grandpa said with fondness. “You are exceptional, Yuri. I’m not the only one who can see it. Your coach does. Even your friends.”

Yuri knew what he meant, since his grandpa had been so clearly interested in what was going on between him and Otabek for years now. He rolled his eyes with a smile tugging at his lips.

“Yeah, guess I should go back there and see how they skate too. I-” He hesitated, throwing a look down the empty corridor to make sure nobody was there to hear him speak. All the same, he lowered his voice, a flush rising to his cheeks. “I think I'm going to give it a chance- I think.”

“Good.”

He blinked, surprised. “Good?”

That wasn’t exactly what he had imagined his grandpa would have to say about him saying he wanted to bone his best friend. He covered his face with one hand, only then belatedly realizing what he had just told his grandpa.

“Yes, good,” he confirmed though, sounding all too calm. “I’m glad you know that you found someone you feel like you can be open with.”

Yuri snorted softly, already feeling heat creep up his face in embarrassment. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

“In my time,” his grandpa went on, unaware of the turmoil in his nephew, “every kid thought it was just a matter of having sex with all the people they liked, when it has never been about that. And sometimes today, too, it seems all the kids without a mate still believe that.”

Yuri blinked in surprise, not really sure he was following. “What? What do you mean?”

“Well, sure, sex might be the fastest way, but it’s not just about that. It’s the intimacy between two people that opens the bond. Deciding to open up themselves to another heart and soul, knowing the other person will share your secrets their entire life and you'll know every inch of their mind in return. Sex is an easy way to feel closer to someone, but it has to start from your heart.”

That was enough to be terrifying, Yuri thought, but he slowly leaned his head back, letting it thump softly against the wall behind him. “Is that why so many say that they knew it before the bond? Did you know grandma was the right one before, too?”

“Yes,” he answered immediately, so much warmth in his voice that Yuri knew for certain he was smiling at the memory of his late wife. “I knew from when I first saw her. She was just- there was no one like her in the world, not for me. She smiled at me and I knew: she was the one.”

Yuri pressed his lips together to try and stifle his feelings even as tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. “I want that,” he admitted in a hoarse whisper.

***

With the gold medal hanging around his neck, it was much easier for Yuri to smile at the arena around him, waving as pictures were snapped from all angles.

It was only by chance if he noticed Victor - the traitor - sending kisses towards his husband, Yuuri happily laughing and waving at him from second place.

Yuri could have what the two of them had, he thought as he threw a look at Otabek standing tall in the third place, looking quite satisfied with himself andr the position he had achieved.

Yuri didn’t really have to think before he reached out towards his best friend. Otabek turned surprised eyes on him when he closed his hand around his arm, and Yuri swallowed down the last of his fears, gently pulling Otabek up on his step in an invite to join him for the usual group picture for the winners.

“I want you here,” Yuri admitted, low enough that only Otabek could hear him.

It was a little intimidating to put the truth out there, but Yuri smiled and put all his hopes in his friend, smiling a little wider when Otabek hesitated only a second more before stepping up and crowding him, an arm around Yuri’s back.

“Are you sure?” Otabek whispered, searching his gaze.

Yuri gave him a little nod even with his heart beating a staccato tempo in his chest. “I really want you here, by my side,” he whispered back, taking the chance to hide his face against his chest for a moment before he inhaled deeply and put his media mask back on.

It was easy then to turn around and smile some more, even to tug Yuuri into joining them up on the first step to take pictures all together.

Otabek held him tighter, squeezing Yuri against his side even as all of them raised their medals for the flashing of the cameras and phones.

This was what Yuri wanted, and he was going to fight for it.

***

They ignored their cellphones ringing and vibrating in their pockets as they tumbled past Yuri’s bedroom door as soon as he managed to get the key to work, too busy kissing Otabek to really care about checking what he was doing.

They both tried to kick the door closed behind them before Yuri went ahead and started freeing Otabek of his jacket and sweatshirt.

He hissed the moment his ringtone started again, groaning in frustration at the clear sign that whoever it was wanting to invite him out to dinner or to parties had no intention of letting him go too easily. He didn’t check the name on the display, simply turning off the volume and throwing it on his bedside table.

Otabek was quickly behind him, doing the same, his phone sliding on the wood to rest beside Yuri’s.

“They can wait,” he murmured, his deep voice and the intensity of his gaze making Yuri shiver in anticipation.

“Yeah.” He nodded, swallowing, but after a moment he managed to shake himself out of his thoughts and started tearing at his own clothes.

His jacket ended up on the floor along with his sweatshirt, but before he could go further, Otabek pulled him towards the bed.

The chance to sit beside Otabek on the edge of his bed and take him into his arms, to hold him tight as they went back to kissing, hit Yuri like a rush straight to his head. He felt almost weightless as they explored how to meet each other halfway in their kisses, touching and caressing skin and hair, desperately trying to pull the other closer until it was not enough anymore.

“Beka…” he called in a whisper, licking his lips as he searched for his friend’s gaze.

Otabek sighed, his eyes fixed on Yuri’s lips for a moment more before he looked up to meet his gaze. He swallowed and covered the hand Yuri held against his face with his own, turning to press a kiss to the center of his palm.

“Are you sure, Yuri?”

“Yes.” He tried to pull Otabek in for a new kiss, but Otabek held back, making pointed eye contact.

“Yuri.”

Yuri stopped trying to kiss Otabek and sighed deeply, accepting they probably had to talk before they could get on with the fucking program.

“I’m okay with this. I am. As long as you promise it won’t change things between us. Even if it turns out that we’re not- uh, we’re not-” He swallowed, staring at his lap, not wanting to finish the thought, but Otabek brushed slowly his thumb over Yuri's cheekbone, giving Yuri the strength to meet his gaze once more as he continued. “Will you still be my friend even if we’re not soulmates?”

Otabek snorted softly and shook his head, looking at him with what seemed a lot like disbelief. “Yuri- I’d still want to _be with you_ even if we weren’t soulmates. It wouldn't change a thing about what I feel for you,” he reassured Yuri, leaning in to brush a kiss to his lips.

Yuri closed his eyes, trying to relax with his words, but just as he thought that Otabek was done with talking, his friend leaned back with a long sigh.

“If you don’t walk away from me again.”

“Beka-”

He shook his head, pressing his lips in a tight line, and Yuri had a sudden clarity on how deeply he must have hurt Otabek with his behavior. “Promise you won’t run away from me again, Yuri. I know we can be soulmates. But- if we’re not-”

“I want this!” Yuri blurted out, grabbing Otabek’s wrists to stop him from completing the sentence. “I want to be with you. Even if we turn out to be... just a regular couple.” He shrugged.

Otabek closed his eyes and leaned in until their foreheads bumped gently. “Yeah. Yeah, this- that’s it then.”

“Yeah,” Yuri breathed, cradling Otabek's face in his hands.

It was almost painful to see now that Otabek was relaxing how tense he had been the whole time at the thought that Yuri could be one step away from getting dressed and leaving his life without looking back.

“I'm sorry I hurt you.”

Otabek shook his head, but then he wrapped his arms around Yuri and pulled him into straddling his lap. It felt natural then to wrap his arms around Otabek’s shoulders and hold him tight as Otabek buried his face against Yuri's shoulder. Otabek inhaled a lungful of his scent while Yuri ran his fingers through Otabek's dark hair.

It was only after they were a little calmer that they extricated themselves from each other and managed to get their shirts off and the medals on the bedside table. Yuri couldn't tear his eyes off Otabek, feeling his cock harden with every inch of skin uncovered, with every muscle and detail of his friend’s body that he could finally openly admire.

He had dreamed of Otabek for so long, even back when he hadn’t wanted to admit he was thinking of his best friend as he touched himself at night. For so long he had thought of Otabek touching him just like Otabek was doing that very moment, running his hands up his arms and down Yuri's chest, kissing him time and time again before Yuri himself distracted him by trying to pull Otabek’s pants down his legs.

Otabek lifted his hips to help, kicking off his pants before he pulled down his underwear to let his cock spring free.

Yuri went completely still at the sight. He blinked slowly and swallowed, his mouth watering at how thick and large Otabek was right there in front of him.

“Wow,” he whispered, barely noticing Otabek shifting slightly on the spot and completely missing the flush that rose to his cheeks under Yuri’s focus.

Yuri held his breath at seeing a bead of clear liquid spring from the slit on the head of Otabek’s cock. He started leaning in before he had even thought about it, but stopped abruptly when Otabek gasped.

“Can I?” Yuri asked from under his lashes, a grin tugging at his lips.

Otabek, wide eyes fixed on Yuri, and nodded quickly, his hands clenching the white bedsheets.

Yuri let out a soft whimper at seeing the cock in front of him twitch. He was emboldened by the clear proof that he wasn’t the only one turned on, and he leaned down to run his tongue over the head of Otabek’s cock. He moaned at the taste that exploded in his mouth when he finally wrapped his lips around it and tried giving an experimental suck.

“Oh- fuck!” Otabek gasped. One of his hands flew over the nape of Yuri’s neck, clearly unable to hold back from touching him anymore.

Yuri closed his eyes and sucked once more on the head of the cock in his mouth before he tried slowly moving down, wanting to figure out how to take more of it.

Yuri wanted to make Otabek be vocal in his pleasure, he wanted to make him scream as he came. Just the thought of driving Otabek wild with pleasure had his own cock aching where it was neglected, still inside his pants. He brought one hand over the bulge and slowly rubbed himself through the fabric even as he tried to focus on bobbing his head up and down over the thick erection in front of him.

“Yuri- Yuri,” Otabek cried, groaning without shame the more Yuri managed to take into his mouth.

The position wasn’t the best for what he was doing, and Yuri tried to move up and away, only for Otabek to hold him down with his fingers twisted in his hair.

Yuri felt a shiver run down his spine at finding himself forced to do what Otabek wanted. He went down once again more than willingly, renewing his efforts to please Otabek by wrapping his lips tighter around him, sucking him harder, trying to get more and more of that big cock into his mouth.

The moment he choked on it the pressure on his nape disappeared, and Yuri pulled off to cough, his eyes filled with tears.

He barely noticed Otabek saying how sorry he was. Instead of letting him go on, Yuri simply took the chance to stand up from the bed and move until he was in front of Otabek.

“Yuri-”

Yuri smiled at Otabek, holding his gaze as he wiped away a tear with the heel of his palm.

“I’m so, so sorry. Are you alright?”

“I’m golden,” he whispered, kicking slightly at Otabek’s feet to make him spread his knees even as Yuri took care of the hairbands holding his braids together.

It was the work of a minute, and Otabek went from looking at him with concern to open curiosity, at least until Yuri let his hair freely fall over his shoulders and took one of Otabek’s hands, encouraging him to bury his fingers in Yuri's hair.

“I love when you pull at them,” Yuri admitted softly, turning to nuzzle at Otabek’s wrist before he bit it playfully. “Pull them harder,” he added with a smirk.

He let himself fall to his knees between Otabek’s open legs, and he smirked when Otabek gasped at seeing what he wanted. “Pull harder,” he said huskily, terribly turned on when Otabek gave an experimental tug at the long strands of his hair.

He moaned wantonly and closed his eyes for a moment at the short burst of pain.

He smirked as Otabek whispered something in a language Yuri couldn’t recognize. He slowly ran his hands over Otabek’s legs, his fingers skimming over his knees and up to his inner thighs, applying pressure to them until Otabek spread them farther, displaying his heavy balls and his thick cock still glistening with Yuri’s spit.

He looked up at Otabek’s face, putting on a show as he licked his lips and hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his pants and underwear, slowly pulling them down together to free his own erection. He wanted Otabek to see how hard he was for him, how close he already was to coming just from the chance of taking that beautiful cock into his mouth once more.

“God,” Otabek whispered, gripping Yuri’s hair a little tighter, enough to wrench a mewling moan out of him.

Yuri parted his lips and practically dived down to take Otabek into his mouth once more. He closed his eyes, trying to relax his muscles and keep on breathing as he attempted to push the head of Otabek’s cock past the point that had had him choking not five minutes before.

Otabek groaned loudly, finally getting on with the program and starting to direct Yuri's movements up and down his cock, slowly shedding any concern he might have about pulling Yuri's hair too hard. It was the stuff Yuri’s wet dreams were made of, and he soon needed to bring one hand over his cock, jacking himself off with the same rhythm with which he sucked his friend.

He tried parting his lips more for him, desperately trying to accomodate more, until Otabek seemed to find that if he pushed through while Yuri was choking on it, it was actually better. Yuri's eyes rolled to the back of his head in arousal, and he simply tried to hold on for the ride.

Yuri wanted Otabek to keep going, for him to come down Yuri's throat as he pleased, for him to fuck Yuri hard with that amazing cock of his and give Yuri everything he had ever wished for in bed.

“I’m almost- Yuri-”

Yuri whimpered at the words and then almost melted when Otabek pulled so hard on his hair that he was forced to lean back and let the cock slip from his lips.

“Yes,” he whispered with a hoarse voice that he almost couldn’t recognize as his own.

Otabek swallowed hard in front of him and only then did Yuri notice the way Otabek's knees were trembling. “I want- babe- I want to take you,” he admitted, forcing deep breaths in and out, even if his hard cock twitching in front of Yuri seemed to disagree, looking just about ready to burst.

“We could do both.” Yuri considered raising an eyebrow in thought.

He wiped his chin with the back of his hand and only belatedly realized how he had made a mess of himself while he was busy slobbering all over Otabek.

Otabek closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “I want to come inside you, though.”

Yuri let out a strangled noise from the back of his throat at the thought and nodded as much as was possible with Otabek’s fingers twisted in his hair. “Yes. I want that too.”

Otabek finally opened his eyes to look at him, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Then take off those clothes. Get on the bed.” He nodded at Yuri’s bed, letting go of him to rustle inside the drawer of the bedside table when Yuri had said to have the lube while Yuri made quick work of what he was still wearing.

“Come here,” Otabek murmured as he sat against the headboard, slowly stroking his cock while he stared at Yuri.

Yuri felt a shiver run down his spine at being under such intense scrutiny, at knowing Otabek was focused only on him. He was more than happy to crawl on the bed and straddle Otabek, whimpering softly at the feeling of naked skin against naked skin.

Otabek let out an appreciative hum and dropped his hands over Yuri’s hips, leading him closer until they were pressed chest to chest, their cocks rubbing together between their bodies as they went back to making out.

“I’ve... been waiting for this,” he admitted softly, his breath warm against Yuri’s lips.

“Me, too.” It was easy to admit it now that he was finally realizing what he had only been able to dream about for years.

Yuri closed his eyes as he went back to kissing Otabek, savoring the intimacy between them and the pleasure he got as their cocks rubbed together with every movement.

When Otabek started circling his opening with one lubed finger, finally putting pressure on it, Yuri let out a long moan, rolling his hips in an attempt to have Otabek push inside right away.

“Beka-”

Otabek brushed his lips over Yuri as he finally indulged him, slowly pressing in and as deep as he could. He studied Yuri’s face as he did so, trying to gauge every reaction.

“You’re tight,” he whispered, digging his fingers into Yuri’s hip. It wasn’t long until he went back to leading Yuri into moving once more, making him roll his hips in a way that had him pushing back on Otabek’s touch and ahead against his cock.

“More,” Yuri whined, begging for Otabek to add another finger, to open him up faster.

Otabek answered with a hum, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down the only sign he was just as excited by what they were doing. He pulled his finger free before slowly pushing two inside, making Yuri gasp softly as he spread them inside of him, trying to open him quickly.

Yuri arched his back with a prolonged moan when Otabek managed to brush his fingers over his prostate.

“Oh, you like it,” Otabek whispered, his voice wavering as he snapped his hips, causing their cocks to rub together a little harder.

Yuri nodded his head a little breathlessly. He threw his arms around Otabek’s shoulders as he ducked his head to kiss him on the mouth once more, slowly losing any restraint, lifting himself on his knees so he could roll his hips a little faster, so he could take Otabek's fingers a little harder, push them a little deeper.

“Fuck me,” he begged with what was almost like a sob, unable to hold back his hunger for more.

“Soon.” Otabek swallowed, dropping his forehead over Yuri’s shoulder, breathing deeply as he fingered Yuri more quickly, evidently just as impatient to be able to take him.

“I want you now.” Yuri shook his head, listing to one side to rummage in his open drawer to grab a condom.

Otabek bit on his bottom lip, frowning slightly. “But you’re still too tight.”

Yuri shook his head, lifting himself a little higher, and Otabek slowly pulled his fingers free. 

“I can take it.” Yuri reassured Otabek with a quick kiss before he slowly rolled the condom over Otabek’s cock. “I want to feel you fill me up,” he said, unable to look him in the eyes as he admitted it.

Otabek wrapped a hand around his cock to slowly jerk himself off while Yuri got ready. He held it still then for Yuri to sink down on.

Yuri threw his head back, holding his breath as he took inch after inch of his friend’s cock, the girth splitting him open and filling him up better than any toy he had ever tried before on his own.

“Beka-” he called breathlessly, his hands gripping hard Otabek’s shoulders, his thighs trembling with the strain of controlling his descent, his legs already burning with the exertion of the day’s exhibition.

He closed his eyes when Otabek pressed forward to smash their mouths together and muffled their noises with a kiss, his large hands guiding Yuri until he was fully seated, taking as much of Otabek's cock as the position permitted them.

The moment Otabek snapped his hips up, driving his cock completely inside of Yuri, Yuri arched his back with a cry, pleasure sizzling through him as he spilled hard between their bodies, his muscles clenching around his lover, whose eyes were wide with surprise.

The room around him seemed to disappear, light and a loud silence enveloping him, almost suffocating him until it suddenly pushed away from him once more, leaving him feeling empty and alone. But it was the matter of the blink of an eye before he felt a wave of love crash over him, and Yuri opened his eyes to find Otabek pressed against him, the two of them holding each other in a tight embrace.

He gasped loudly, trying to gulp air inside his lungs even as he tried to wrap himself a little tighter around Otabek.

It all seemed to suddenly crash down on him: music he had never heard before, words he had never spoken or known the meaning of, the taste of foods he had never eaten, songs that had never evoked the emotions he could feel flooding through him, the scent of a home and of a family Yuri didn’t knew, the pain of falls and scratches that he had not felt on his skin, books he’d fallen in love with and the memories of vacations, of all the people that he held dear even if Yuri knew they were not his family, his friends.

Above all else, he could feel the love and the desire to keep him close that vibrated through Otabek.

He opened his eyes, gasping as reality took a hold of him once more and he was left staring with wide eyes at his lover, his own surprise mirrored on Otabek’s face as he stared up at Yuri as if he had never seen him before.

“That was-” he haltingly began, blinking at Otabek, who was still gaping, staring at him clearly shocked under the weight of Yuri’s own memories.

He didn’t need to ask if it had been the bond snapping in place between them, certain of it deep in his bones.

“-quite an info dump,” he finished, suddenly feeling a bit silly.

But it seemed to snap Otabek out of whatever hole he had fallen into, because after the briefest moment, he started laughing, leaning closer to steal a kiss from his lips.

He was happy, Yuri could tell, able to feel what Otabek was feeling resonating through him. He smiled at his lover, slowly running his fingers through Otabek’s dark hair much like Otabek was doing to him.

They exchanged kiss after kiss, passing back and forth feelings and emotions, the impression of touches and kisses, the pleasure that was born from both of them and the thoughts that they would have tried to hide in any other moment.

“I knew we were meant to be,” Otabek said, his lips brushing against Yuri's with every other word, smiling happily even though Yuri was able to catch the tail end of a thought - a memory of Otabek watching Yuri’s Instagram feed and wondering if he had lost him forever, if Yuri cared for him as much as Otabek himself did or if his love was in fact unrequited and Yuri considered him to be just a friend that he needed to keep away now that Otabek had showed his true feelings.

Yuri gasped softly at the pang of pain Otabek had felt when Yuri had avoided him, believing it was the proof that he had managed to fall in love with someone who didn’t see him the same way.

“I’m- I’m sorry,” he whispered, feeling with a certain horror his eyes fill with tears even as Otabek cupped his cheek with one hand, gently caressing him and pressing their foreheads together.

“You were scared. I get that now. You don’t need to be anymore.”

Yuri swallowed with a nod and wrapped his arms around Otabek’s back to bury his face against his shoulder. He inhaled sharply when the movement sent a spark of pleasure through Otabek. He was suddenly reminded of what they had been doing when the bond had snapped into place, and he pressed his smile to Otabek’s neck, breathing in his scent and letting that and the touch of his big hands on his back calm him down.

It was easy to go back to moving together now that they could read each other like open books, both aware of what the other person wanted and liked, knowing when a kiss was needed like the air they were breathing and when all that they wanted was for Yuri to move faster, to take Otabek’s cock harder inside of him.

Yuri threw his head back with a long moan, shaken by the pleasure, able to feel exactly what Otabek was feeling as he fucked Yuri hard and relentlessly. Yuri knew without needing to ask that Otabek was experiencing the same phenomenon, driven crazy by the loop of pleasure of what he felt himself and what Yuri was feeling at having Otabek's thick cock thrust deep inside of him, opening him up and filling in a completely new way.

“I- I’m going to-” Yuri couldn't finish the sentence before he started coming once more, brought over edge by the onslaught of pleasure.

He arched with a long groan, barely able to hear Otabek’s cry of pleasure over the loud rush of blood in his ears. It wasn’t until he managed to catch his breath that he was shocked to find that what he had felt was in fact Otabek’s orgasm, Yuri's cock still half hard between them while Otabek rested completely against the pillows and the headboard with his eyes closed and visibly out of breath.

“Oh- damn. This bond is amazing,” he said, awed, slowly running the tips of his fingers over Otabek’s rapidly rising and falling chest.

He inhaled sharply at hearing Otabek simply confirm his words in his head, still too breathless to manage to say it out loud.

“Oh, God. We can- this is going to be great.” He grinned broadly, happy to let Otabek pull him into another hug and kiss him yet again.

***

Exhibition galas were good to show off their skills without the restrictions of the rules and the judging that came with the competition. It was probably a bit of a cliché to skate out there with a bondmate, but he and Otabek had already skated together in more than one gala, no matter the fact that they hadn’t known at the time what bound them together.

Victor didn’t seem all that surprised when they emerged the morning after their big win from Yuri’s bedroom, still looking quite smitten as they traded back and forth thoughts and memories.

They were startled by Victor and Yuuri showering them with confetti, Victor pretending to dry a tear, sighing that the little ones grew up too fast.

Yuri ignored Otabek and Yuuri chatting by themselves, his friend congratulating his bondmate. Instead, he stared at Victor with suspicion.

“And how do you know that we bonded anyway?”

“Did you forget that we were next door?” Victor snorted, hooking his thumb over his shoulder.

Yuri flushed in embarrassment at the sudden realization that they must have been rather vocal throughout the night. “Huh.”

“Don’t worry.” Yuuri shot him a friendly smile, more reassuring than Victor ever could. “We convinced Chris not to livestream the two of you leaving the room together, but he asked to at least get a selfie with both of you for his Insta feed.”

Yuri felt all the blood drain from his face. It was extremely surreal to feel how shocked Otabek was beside him when his face didn’t so much as twitch.

“What-”

“Chris is in the other room. Did you forget?” Victor chuckled, pointing at the next door down the hallway. “He spent the night adding stories to his social accounts about the power of love and how beautiful it was to witness it himself.”

Yuri covered his face with both hands, hoping the floor really would open up for him this time.

“Don’t worry. He didn’t write down your names.” Yuuri tried to reassure him.

Yuri only needed to glance at Yuuri to see that he was clearly hiding something, and when he looked at Victor for confirmation, Victor was suppressing a laugh behind one hand.

“What? What can be worse?” Yuri asked.

“Uh, well.” Yuuri shifted from one foot to the other, looking towards the other end of the hallway, just as embarrassed as Yuri was, apparently.

Victor stopped trying to rein himself in and started laughing outright, tears streaming down his cheeks. “In one of the stories, you can hear quite clearly your voice calling for _Beka_. It was great!”

Yuri pressed his lips in a tight line and reached out, grabbing Otabek’s hand without looking and dragging him away.

“That’s it. I’m moving to Kazakhstan. Goodbye.” He threw over his shoulder.

He felt Otabek’s amusement bubble up through their bond, and he looked at his lover as he entwined their fingers with a small, curious smile.

“Are you?”

Yuri tilted his head, considering the matter, but even as he said “guess that will depend on both of us,” Otabek nodded at the thought that had flashed through Yuri’s mind despite his words.

“Yes, we have all the time in the world to choose. No sense rushing now.” 

Yuri grinned at Otabek, squeezing his hand as they went looking for breakfast, confident about what the future held for him and Otabek’s place by his side.


End file.
